Printer and printing method

Abstract

A printer includes a print head and a processor. The print head ejects ink from nozzles to a printing medium while moving in a first direction, and also moves in a second direction intersecting with the first direction by a moving amount that is a dimension in the second direction of each of blocks into which the nozzles are divided in the second direction. Based on a position of the printing medium and the dimension, the processor determines whether to perform printing in a first mode or a second mode. A printing start position in the second direction of the print head is set such that a position in the second direction of one of boundaries between mutually adjacent blocks coincides, in the first mode, with a position of a back end of a printing region, and in the second mode, with a position of a front end of the printing region.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A printer comprising:
 a print head that performs a first operation of ejecting ink from nozzles to a printing medium while moving in a first direction and a second operation of moving in a second direction intersecting with the first direction by a moving amount that is a block dimension in the second direction of each of blocks into which the nozzles are divided in the second direction; and 
 a processor that, based on a position of the printing medium and the block dimension in the second direction, determines whether to perform printing on the printing medium in a first mode or a second mode, wherein the first mode is a mode in which a printing start position in the second direction of the print head is set such that a position in the second direction of one of boundaries between mutually adjacent blocks among the blocks coincides with a position of a back end of a printing region, and the second mode is a mode in which the printing start position of the print head is set such that a position of one of the boundaries coincides with a position of a front end of the printing region. 
 
     
     
       2. The printer according to  claim 1 , wherein the processor determines to perform the printing in the first mode in response to a distance from a back end of a printable region to a tip of the printing medium, the tip being positioned nearer to the back end of the printable region, being shorter than the block dimension in the second direction, and determines to perform the printing in the second mode in response to the distance being longer than the block dimension in the second direction. 
     
     
       3. A printer composing:
 a print head that performs a first operation of ejecting ink from nozzles to a printing medium while moving in a first direction and a second operation of moving in a second direction intersecting with the first direction by a moving amount that is a block dimension in the second direction of each of blocks into which the nozzles are divided in the second direction; and 
 a processor that, based on a position of the printing medium, a dimension of the printing medium in the second direction, and a printable region, determines whether to perform printing on the printing medium in a first mode or a second mode, wherein the first mode is a mode in which a printing start position in the second direction of the print head is set such that a position in the second direction of one of boundaries between mutually adjacent blocks among the blocks coincides with a position of a back end of a printing region, and the second mode is a mode in which the printing start position of the print head is set such that a position of one of the boundaries coincides with a position of a front end of the printing region. 
 
     
     
       4. The printer according to  claim 3 , wherein the processor determines to perform the printing in the first mode in response to the position of the front end of the printing region based on the position of the printing medium and the dimension of the printing medium in the second direction and based on an assumption that the printing is performed in the first mode being inside the printable region, and determines to perform the printing in the second mode in response to the position of the front end of the printing region being in front of the printable region. 
     
     
       5. A printing method comprising:
 before causing a print head to perform a first operation of ejecting ink from nozzles to a printing medium while moving in a first direction and a second operation of moving in a second direction intersecting with the first direction by a moving amount that is a block dimension in the second direction of each of blocks into which the nozzles are divided in the second direction, 
 based on a position of the printing medium and the block dimension in the second direction, determining whether to perform printing on the printing medium in a first mode or a second mode, wherein the first mode is a mode in which a printing start position in the second direction of the print head is set such that a position in the second direction of one of boundaries between mutually adjacent blocks among the blocks coincides with a position of a back end of a printing region, and the second mode is a mode in which the printing start position of the print head is set such that a position of one of the boundaries coincides with a position of a front end of the printing region. 
 
     
     
       6. A printing method comprising:
 before causing a print head to perform a first operation of ejecting ink from nozzles to a printing medium while moving in a first direction and a second operation of moving in a second direction intersecting with the first direction by a moving amount that is a block dimension in the second direction of each of blocks into which the nozzles are divided in the second direction, 
 based on a position of the printing medium, a dimension of the printing medium in the second direction, and a printable region, determining whether to perform printing on the printing medium in a first mode or a second mode, wherein the first mode is a mode in which a printing start position in the second direction of the print head is set such that a position in the second direction of one of boundaries between mutually adjacent blocks among the blocks coincides with a position of a back end of a printing region, and the second mode is a mode in which the printing start position of the print head is set such that a position of one of the boundaries coincides with a position of a front end of the printing region.